Ludicrous patronage no big deal

So we’ve learned that a woman with a hapless driving record of four speeding tickets, two failures to stop for a cop, a whopping seven accidents and other infractions was hired as the state’s highway safety director, apparently because Toonces the cat was unavailable.

Aside from the obvious ironies of appointing a bad driver to promote good driving practices, the appointment of Sheila Burgess reminds us that political patronage is not only thriving in Massachusetts, it’s also swerving across traffic lanes, crashing into boulders and failing to pay excise taxes. And it’s a big embarrassment to Gov. Deval Patrick and U.S. Rep. James McGovern, whose aide acknowledged that he recommended Burgess be hired.

Unfairly, though, the driving debacle is already fueling criticism of Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, even though Murray is only tangentially connected to Burgess and had no role in securing her a job. Murray, you see, has had the temerity to express an interest in the governor’s seat, even though he’s not part of the Boston establishment and hails from that city’s favorite geographic punch line, otherwise known as the wilderness of Worcester.

When The Boston Globe broke the story Sunday that the politically connected Burgess was hired as director of the Massachusetts Highway Safety Division despite 34 entries on her driving record, prominently mentioned was a résumé that listed Murray as among the Democratic candidates for whom she had raised money and advised.

But in an interview yesterday, Murray reiterated that he hired Burgess’ sister, Colleen, president of SBH Consulting/Mass Strategy Group, when he was running for Worcester mayor in 2003. He said he knew Sheila Burgess, who is listed as a principal of SBH, as having done work for McGovern.

“It was Jim McGovern who called the governor’s people on her behalf, and Jim will tell you that,” Murray said. “McGovern’s people acknowledged he made the referral, yet I’m getting pinned with it.”

McGovern’s spokesman stressed again yesterday that McGovern recommended Burgess, although not for any specific post. And some could say that McGovern is taking the fall for his friend, Murray, but in this case there’s no reason to connect Murray to the hiring.

“Our office reached out to the governor’s office and said, ‘If you’re looking for a good person, here’s a good person,’ ” Michael Mershon said. “Jim McGovern was one of the first elected officials to endorse Deval Patrick. We didn’t go through the lieutenant governor because there was no need to. We own this one.”

And this one looks bad. Burgess was appointed to the $87,000-a-year post in 2007, despite having no background in public safety or government administration. What she had was a driving record that would make Lindsay Lohan blush. She’s now out of work with a head injury after her car crashed into a boulder Aug. 24. The Patrick administration said Burgess will be assigned to a different post, but I sense a disability pension in this woman’s future.

As for Murray’s future, last week he said at a breakfast meeting that, “I would like to be governor,” which immediately sparked a derisive column by Howie Carr. But I’ve learned not to underestimate our former Boy Mayor. Many scoffed at his vision of a downtown without the mall, and hardly anyone believed that a Worcester politician could win the lieutenant governor’s post.

“It does make things harder,” Murray said. “I’m not unmindful of what Paul Cellucci and Jane Swift had to go through.”

If Murray decides to run for governor, he’ll prove soon enough that he’s no small-town hack. Sure, he has a political skeleton or two. But if voters care about facts and fairness, this sorry scandal won’t become one of them.